Library Displays

Category: Library Displays

“A Stone of Hope” Exhibit is Back in the Mudd Library

A Stone of Hope: Black Experiences in the Fox Cities returns to the second floor of the library through February.

We’re so honored to welcome back the exhibit, A Stone of Hope: Black Experiences in the Fox Cities, for the remainder of Black History Month (February). This exhibit explores Black history in the area, dating from the 1700s to present times.

Learn more about this exhibit, or see the complete digital version at the History Museum’s Stone of Hope webpage.

Community members are encouraged to look at the digital exhibit on the History Museum page, as the library is still only open to current LU students, faculty, and staff, due to Covid-19.

We hope everyone takes the opportunity to view this important exhibit, and learn about the contributions of and challenges faced by Black residents and visitors to the Fox Cities.

Collaborative Science Fiction Display in the Mudd

This term the Mudd Library has partnered with professors from around campus to create a display celebrating science fiction!

The display is meant to highlight several winter term science fiction courses currently underway.

Chloe Armstrong is teaching Science Fiction and Philosophy, Amy Ongiri is leading a class called Queering Science Fiction Film, and Jason Brozek is heading up a weekend retreat to Bjorklunden to study War and Science Fiction.

Below we’ve shared science fiction recommendations from professors across disciplines. Our library display, located on the first floor, includes many of these recommendations, and more!

Jason Brozek from the Government Department recommends:

Starship Troopers (1997) – This is right up there with Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove as one of the best military satires of all time.

Battlestar Galactica (the rebooted series, 2004-2009) – One of the most powerful TV representations of issues like dehumanization, torture, terrorism, and civil-military relations.

The Forever War by Joe Halderman (1974) – The plot is about humanity traveling light-years to fight an interstellar enemy, but this book is really about how the experience of war fundamentally changes the people who fight it.

Amy Ongiri from Film Studies recommends:

Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia Butler

Octavia’s Broodedited by Walidah Imarisha

Peddle Zombies by Elly Blue

Our Reference and Learning Technologies Librarian Angela Vanden Elzen recommends:

Star Trek

Dr. Who

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Monica Rico from the History Department recommends:

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It explores the historical and philosophical issues raised by time travel in a sophisticated way, but it’s also a book that, at its heart, is about friendship, compassion, and loyalty.

Martyn Smith from Religious Studies recommends:

Elon Musk, Elon Musk, SpaceX, Tesla, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Claire Kervin from Environmental Studies recommends:

Maddaddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

Victoria Kononova from the Russian Department recommends:

The Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Chloe Armstrong from the Philosophy Department recommends:

“Imposter Syndrome” by Mari Kurisato, in Love Beyond Body, Space and Time, an Indigenous LGBT Sci-fi Anthology, edited by Hope Nicholson

Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Please come in and visit our display if you are on campus!

We hope you will consider reading or watching some science fiction, and that you live long and prosper, too!

A Stone of Hope in the Mudd Gallery

A Stone of Hope, an exhibit which opened in the Mudd Gallery this past Wednesday, explores Black life in the Fox Cities from the 1700s up until the present day. The exhibit, organized by the History Museum at the Castle, has traveled throughout the Fox Cities over the last two years and is making it’s return to the Seeley G. Mudd library.

The exhibit tells a multifaceted story of the lives of Black Fox City residents. Before the 20th century, there was a growing black population many of whom were veterans of the the Civil War, business owners, and community leaders. In fact Lawrence admitted several residents of the Fox Cities as early as 1856.  However with this growth of the Black population and social standing also came a rise in racially motivated harassment, discrimination, and violence. By 1920 most Black residents had left the Fox Cities. This continued throughout the twentieth century as Appleton was an unofficial “sundown town” well into the 1960s.

A Stone of Hope confronts Appleton and Lawrence’s long history of white supremacy, but in doing so also honors the many activists that have worked tirelessly to challenge these structures – in the area and throughout the country. The title of the exhibit is taken from a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. at UW Fox Valley in 1967 in which he challenges the white community to work towards inclusion saying the Fox Cities could emerge from a “mountain of hate” as a “stone of hope” in the Civil Rights Movement. While King imagined the Fox Cities as a haven from racism there is still no doubt a great deal of work to be done to achieve this. The exhibit ends looking towards the many Fox City residents  who continue to strive towards this goal.

A Stone of Hope

A Stone of Hope, which was made possible in part by the work of the Mudd’s very own Erin Dix and Antoinette Powell, will be on view in the Mudd Gallery until April 20, after which it will be moved to the Conservatory. Be sure to spend some time with this information and impactful exhibit before it closes.

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Mudd Gallery Exhibit: Future Humour

 

Future Humour runs until November 20.

We love the Mudd Gallery! Having an art gallery in the library is a beautiful partnership, and one that truly embodies the essence of a liberal arts education.

Future Humour features digital photography captured in New York City and Appleton.

Supporting our students is an incredibly significant component of our mission, so it makes sense for us to offer space that allows burgeoning student artists the opportunity to curate, organize, and host their own gallery openings and exhibits.

It’s also a great resource for students working hard in the library, slogging away at their academic work. The gallery allows a meaningful, fulfilling, thought-provoking avenue through which to relax, unwind, and shift or gain perspective.

The Mudd Gallery’s latest exhibit is Future Humor by Yifan Zhang.

The artist shares color photography captured in New York City and in Appleton, creating a vibrant and interesting opportunity to compare and contrast these locations.

Zhang states, “Humour is elegant innuendo. Future Humour represents unforeseen conditions. I will let the images speak for themselves.”

The Mudd Gallery is located on the 3rd floor of the Seeley G. Mudd Library.

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The Mudd Welcomes Natasha Trethewey to Lawrence!

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Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey will be at Lawrence November 1.

The Seeley G. Mudd Library is pleased to welcome poet Natasha Trethewey to Lawrence!

You can read more about Natasha and her work at the Poetry Foundation. Ms. Trethewey is also a professor at Emory University. Check out the links provided to learn more about her numerous accomplishments and honors.

The library has many of Natasha’s works available in our collection, including:

Native guard

Beyond Katrina : a meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Bellocq’s Ophelia : poems

Domestic work : poems

Black nature : four centuries of African American nature poetry

In addition, we’ve created a display featuring her poetry for your reading pleasure. Stop by the library to enjoy an assortment of Ms. Trethewey’s work before what is sure to be an interesting and thought-provoking convocation.

Natasha Trethewey’s talk, titled “The Muse of History: On Poetry and Social Justice,” will take place on Tuesday, November 1, at 11:10 am in the Chapel.  We’ll see you there!

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Stop by the Mudd to read some of Natasha Trethewey’s work!

(In)visible: Homelessness in Appleton

         It’s hard to imagine what homelessness looks like in Appleton from within the Lawrence bubble. During Spring term of last year, Sankofa CODA hosted a conversation that focused on the issue of Housing Inequality. The discussion looked at the social and historical conditions that threaten people’s access to shelter – especially for people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Thanks to a partnership between Lawrence and the History Museum at the Castle, we are lucky enough to have an excerpt of the exhibition “(In)visible” on view in the Mudd Library to continue this conversation. The exhibition, located on the library’s second floor, is sponsored by the Fox Cities Housing Coalition as a part of their initiative Project RUSH (Research to Understand and Solve Homelessness).
        “(In)visible” refers to how those struggling to find stable housing in the Fox Valley often feel. This exhibition sought to amplify the voices and experiences of members of Appleton’s homeless community by providing them cameras to capture moments of their lives. Many of these photographs as well as written accounts by the photographers are on view as well as statistics about this population gathered by Project RUSH in 2015.

Image and caption by Del, a participant in the program

        The result is a moving insight into the daily lives of Appleton’s homeless population. Be sure to stop by the exhibition before it is taken down on Sunday October 16th and to get involved in Project RUSH or other organizations dedicated fighting housing insecurity in the Fox Valley. Lawrence students should check out volunteer opportunities through the campus Volunteer Center.

Celebrating Diversity in the Mudd Library

Banned Books Week display celebrating diverse books.

At a recent library staff meeting, we were honored to welcome Kimberly Barrett, Lawrence’s new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Dean of the Faculty. Vice President Barrett shared her vision for diversity and inclusion at Lawrence and helped us to discover ways in which the library can show the students, faculty, and staff that we are dedicated to celebrating and exploring diversity.

As a result, we’ve compiled many of these efforts and made them available on the library website:

Diversity Efforts in the Mudd Library
Library Diversity Resources

And on some Pinterest boards:

Diversity and Inclusion: Books, Journals, and Media in the Mudd
Diversity and Inclusion: Reading Lists and Resources

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Is your department or student organization interested in collaborating with us on a library display or event? Fill out our form and share your ideas!

Your friends in the Mudd Library are happy to be a part of the diverse and welcoming community of Lawrence University.

The Mudd Welcomes Lan Samantha Chang to Lawrence!

Spring term finals are over and the hustle and bustle of students writing, reading and concentrating intently in the busy, buzzing library has given way to quiet stillness.

This can only mean one thing: Commencement is just a few days away!

If you’re as excited as we are about Lan Samantha Chang delivering this year’s commencement address, you’re in luck. We’ve created a display featuring all three of the Appleton native’s novels.

The display also features The Workshop: Seven Decades of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop – 43 Stories, Recollections, & Essays on Iowa’s Place in Twentieth-Century American Literature. This book is a compilation of works created by participants in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, of which Chang is the current director.

If you’re wondering what to do with the several days before commencement, stop by the Mudd and check out some of Chang’s work before she arrives.

While you’re here you can catch up on some current news, watch a movie, read a magazine or novel (Chang’s are available!), work on a puzzle or just hang out. (You know, all of the things you’ve been daydreaming about doing since spring break ended.)

Thanks for a fabulous academic year, everyone, and congratulations to our graduating seniors!

Join us as we welcome Lan Samantha Chang back to Appleton.

 

Mudd Gallery: Liam Hoy

Currently on display in the Mudd Gallery through October 13 is “Graduation” by senior studio art and environmental science major, Liam Hoy.  Hoy’s ideas for the exhibition were influenced by the beginning of his final year in undergrad, and the uncertainty of the future post-graduation (thus the reason for the title of the show). The exhibit is comprised of original ceramic sculpture works from 2015. It features three large ceramic sculptures suspended on wooden spider legs, and a small crowd of porcelain figures. While trying to determine how to best represent the excitement and nervousness prompted by his senior year and the future, Hoy was inspired by spiders- “they seem scary at first, but if you stop to appreciate them, they do good things.” The crowd of small, curious people represent graduates, and the gallery walls are painted black to contrast with the white glazed ceramics and porcelain figures.

Be sure to stop by the Gallery on the third floor and spend some time with this wonderfully unique exhibit!

Summer Events at the Mudd Library

Summer is a great time to learn about new, interesting things. With this in mind, the Mudd Library is happy to be hosting an exhibit as well as our annual coffeehouse series this summer. As always, we encourage everyone still on campus to stop in and check out our great selection of novels, non-fiction, and movies.  Keep in mind, we have begun our summer hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The crowd listens at last year’s “Films from the Archives” coffeehouse.

For just a few more days, the library will be hosting the exhibit, “A Stone of Hope: Black Experiences in the Fox Cities.” Learn more about this fascinating exhibit at the History Museum website, then stop in and see it for yourself. The exhibit will be on display through June 30th.

We will also be hosting our annual summer coffeehouse series. The first session is entitled, “Lawrence and Diversity,” and will take place on Wednesday, July 1 at 10 a.m. At this coffeehouse, Archivist Erin Dix will discuss the history of how fostering greater diversity and greater appreciation for diversity has been, and remains, a priority for Lawrence University. See our guide to learn more about this, and our other exciting coffeehouses.

We hope to see you in the library this summer!